Whether for feeding a mother's milk, a cow's milk or a prepared milk formula, a human or artificial nipple has been the interface with a baby for delivery of the liquid food. It seems natural that a pacifier would be devised that incorporates an artificial nipple for a baby to chew or suck on to reduce periods of stress and crying that frequently occur between feeding times.
A standard prior art pacifier typically has a hollow nipple made of an elastomeric material and a mouth shield supporting the nipple. The nipple is mounted to and extends away from a side of the mouth shield so that the baby can receive the nipple in his or her mouth. The nipple's mounting to the mouth shield prevents the baby from swallowing or choking on the nipple. The standard pacifier also typically has a handle or ring supported and extending from the opposite side of the mouth shield for gripping by a parent or other person attending to the baby's needs in order to insert or withdraw the pacifier nipple into or from the baby's mouth.
Generally speaking, the typical experience with the standard prior art pacifier has been very positive in fulfilling the needs of babies and their parents or attendants. However, the utility of the standard pacifier is fairly short lived; it starts to diminish when the baby begins to get hungry.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an innovation that will overcome the deficiencies of past approaches and the problems that remain unsolved so as to further enhance the utility of a pacifier.